An Innocent Mind
by Stinkfly3
Summary: Takes place during the events of PnF Hunger Games by jessie hamster. She thought it was all just a game, and the participants were only faking their deaths. But her mom knew she would have been traumatized if she knew the truth...
1. Chapter 1

Vanessa Wilson was thrilled. Today was the day of the reaping, and this was her first year to join in. She wasn't sure why everyone else was nervous, though. Her mom told her the participants were pretending to be dead for more publicity.

So, Vanessa spent the morning getting dressed for the big ceremony. She chose a plain pink dress and matching sandals. Her hair was done in a ponytail by a pink bow. She looked at her reflection in the mirror and grinned.

"You look beautiful, dear," Mrs. Wilson said.

"Of course I do, mom," Vanessa replied. "I want to look my best for when my name's called."

"Just remember that this is all just a game," Mrs. Wilson said. "And it doesn't matter if you win. All that counts is that you have fun."

"Of course I'll have fun," Vanessa said. "Who doesn't enjoy pretending to die on national television?"

* * *

Soon, Vanessa was at the ceremony with the others in District 4. She didn't get why everyone else looked worried or nervous. Or why they were all looking at her like she's crazy. All she was doing was smiling.

"What are you so happy about?" a girl asked.

"It's my first year," Vanessa answered. "And I hope my name is called."

As the girl muttered something under her breath, the ceremony began.

"Happy Hunger Games!" a woman happily said. "And may the odds be _ever_ in your favor!"

Vanessa clapped eagerly...but she stopped when she noticed everyone else was glaring at her.

"Ladies first!" the woman said. She walked over to a large glass bowl and took out a small piece of paper. "Vanessa Wilson."

"WOO-HOO!" Vanessa cheered. "YEAH!" She happily ran onto the stage, grinning from ear-to-ear. The others weren't responding at all.

"A little eager, huh?" the woman asked.

"It's my first year," Vanessa said, still smiling. "I just want to have fun."

"That's the spirit!" the woman said. "Boys next!" She took out another small piece of paper. "Thaddeus Andrews."

A 12-year-old boy walked onto the stage and stood next to Vanessa. "How's it goin'?" she quietly asked.

"Just peachy," Thaddeus whispered back.

"I give you the tributes of District 4!" the woman announced.


	2. Chapter 2

Soon, Vanessa and Thaddeus arrived in separate rooms of the Justice Building to say farewell to their friends and family. Vanessa was saying goodbye to her mother.

"There can only be one winner out of twenty-four competitors," Mrs. Wilson said. "Promise me you'll be that one."

"Of course," Vanessa said. "I'll do my best to win."

"I know you will," Mrs. Wilson said. Then she gave Vanessa a motherly hug.

"I love you, mom," Vanessa said.

"I love you too," Mrs. Wilson said.

* * *

Soon, Vanessa and Thaddeus were on a train that was heading for the Capitol. While Vanessa was smiling, Thaddeus didn't look happy at all.

"Cheer up, dude," Vanessa told Thaddeus. "We're going to be in the Capitol: the glitz and glamor of the world. It's going to be so much fun there!"

"Speak for yourself," Thaddeus said. "All they're going to do is make us look good before we're splattered in blood and breathing out last breaths."

"That's just ketchup," Vanessa said. "My mom told me everyone except the winner fakes dying for publicity. And besides, what's wrong with wearing a nice outfit on a special occasion?"

"Oh, you poor naive girl," Thaddeus said. "You really have an innocent mind."

"I'm not clueless," Vanessa said. "I'm an optimist."

Thaddeus muttered something under his breath.

* * *

When Vanessa and Thaddeus arrived at the Capitol, they were taken to separate rooms of the Remake Center so they could get dressed for tonight's opening ceremony.

Vanessa was wearing a light blue robe as several employees pampered her. They put lotion on her body, smoothed out her limbs, and washed her hair with coconut-scented shampoo.

When that was done, Vanessa met her stylist: Cinna Wood. "You must be Vanessa Wilson of District 4," he said.

Vanessa nodded. "Are you hear to make sure I look pretty on national television?" she asked.

"No, I'm here to help you win over sponsors by making an impression," Cinna answered.

Vanessa was confused. "Sponsors?"

"It's for the Games," Cinna explained. "The more sponsors you get, the more supplies you'll receive to help you out."

"Why would I need supplies?" Vanessa asked. "I'm only here to have fun."

"You sure are optimistic," Cinna commented. "That's the kind of image that's sure to help you get sponsors."

* * *

Within a few minutes, Vanessa and Thaddeus were each given their costumes. Since District 4 was the fishing industry, the costumes were based on fishing supplies. Thaddeus wore a white t-shirt, light green fishing overalls, and dark green waterproof boots, while Vanessa wore a light blue dress and matching high heels. The dress had a rhinestone fishnet attached to the skirt part.

"Remember, appear friendly," Cinna said as Vanessa and Thaddeus got on their chariot.

When the two tributes were out in the open, Vanessa grinned and waved. Thaddeus, on the other hand, forced a smile.

But there was something wrong. The cheers didn't feel right. The crowd was chanting 'District 12' for some unknown reason.

"Thaddeus, why's the crowd cheering for District 12?" Vanessa whispered.

"Just look at the monitors," Thaddeus whispered back.

Vanessa did, and she was flabbergasted at what she saw. The two tributes from District 12 were holding hands.


	3. Chapter 3

The next day, Vanessa and Thaddeus at breakfast in the hotel room they were staying at.

"I still can't believe District 12 stole the show last night," Thaddeus said.

"I'm surprised they're friends," Vanessa said. "I mean, did you see them holding hands?"

"Yeah, everyone saw that," Thaddeus said.

"Don't worry about them," Vanessa said. "Today's the first day of training. I'm so excited to practice my inventing skills!"

"You invent?" Thaddeus asked.

"One of my many hobbies," Vanessa explained. "My mom also taught me how to make fishing hooks from scratch."

"What, you expect to win using fishing hooks?" Thaddeus asked in disbelief.

"It doesn't matter if I win or lose," Vanessa said optimistically. "All that counts is that I have fun."

* * *

At the Training Center, Vanessa and Thaddeus, as well as the other tributes, were each given a uniform. Vanessa was smiling, but she stopped when Thaddeus nudged her.

"What?" Vanessa asked quietly.

"Will you stop smiling already?" Thaddeus angrily whispered. "This is supposed to be serious!"

"Fine," Vanessa whispered back with an eye-roll.

"Now, each station will provide that relates to survival skills or training with weaponry," the coach explained. "You may not fight with the other tributes-you'll have plenty of time to do that in the arena-and you may train individually or together; whichever you choose."

* * *

The days went by. Thaddeus preferred to train by himself, but Vanessa spent her time training using some inventions se created with the weapons. One of her creations was type of arrow that was exposed to sleeping gas. The arrowhead was dull (so it couldn't harm the target), but anyone who was hit ended up unconscious for a few hours.

Eventually, the day came for the tributes to present themselves to the Gamemakers. After Thaddeus' turn was over, Vanessa went up next.

"Are you miss Vanessa Wilson of District 4?" a Gamemakers asked.

Vanessa nodded as she smiled. "I would like to demonstrate a weapon I've been working on these past few days," she said.

When Thaddeus came back, the Gamemakers were baffled.

"Don't worry, he's just for demonstration," Vanessa explained. "I need a living being to show you what my weapon."

With the Gamemakers' approval, Thaddeus took a few steps back. Vanessa picked up a bow and one of her arrows and aimed at Thaddeus. Then she fired the arrow directly at Thaddeus. As soon as the arrowhead hit him in the stomach, he immediately lost consciousness.

"The arrowheads on these arrows might be dull, but they were exposed to sleeping gas," Vanessa explained. "But don't worry about Thaddeus. He'll recover after a few hours."


	4. Chapter 4

That afternoon, the scores were announced. While Thaddeus could care less about his score, Vanessa was eager to see what she got. When they got to her, she squealed when she saw her score.

"Oh my gosh, I got a 10!" Vanessa cheered. "I knew the sleeping gas arrows would impress the Gamemakers!"

"That's not a perfect score," Thaddeus informed.

"It's above 6," Vanessa informed.

But when the scores for the District 12 tributes were announced, Thaddeus wasn't too happy with what he saw.

"You have got to be kidding me!" Thaddeus hollered. "That District 12 boy got an 11?"

"Oh well," Vanessa said with a shrug. "Whatever he did must have been better than my invention."

* * *

The next morning, after breakfast, Vanessa and Thaddeus got dressed for their interviews. Vanessa was wearing a plain pink dress with a pink ribbon tied around her waist. She also wore a pink sleeveless jack and pink high heels. Her hair was curled beautifully and held back by a pink gemstone-studded headband.

"What do you think?" Cinna asked.

Vanessa couldn't help but squeal as she saw her reflection in the mirror. "I've never looked so pretty in my whole entire life!" she happily exclaimed.

"I know you're excited, but please tone it down during the interview," Cinna informed. "I don't think sponsors would like someone who's too cheerful."

"Yeah, I know," Vanessa replied. "Thaddeus has been telling me the same thing ever since training started."

* * *

And so, the twenty-four tributes arrived at the studio where the interviews will take place. After a while, Vanessa was up. She walked onto the stage and sat next to Roger Doofenshmirtz, the ruler's younger brother.

"How's it goin'?" Vanessa asked, resulting in several aww's from the audience.

"So Vanessa," Roger said. "Do you have any strategies for the Hunger Games you'd like to share with us tonight?"

"Well, I do have one," Vanessa said. "I'm good with a bow and arrow. I'm planning to get the bow and arrow, hide in the woods, and seek out anybody who comes my way. But I can see the Phineas kid's good with the bows and arrows too."

"Oh, well, do you have any idea what your going to do if your stuck alone in the woods alone?" Roger asked. "Just to plan ahead."

"Well I'm friends with Buford," Vanessa said, remembering how kind he was to her during the training sessions. "So I think I'll join the alliance."

"Good so far, I like it," Roger replied. "Although careers can be pretty feisty. I suggest you watch your back."

"Well, like I said before, I'm good with a bow and arrow," Vanessa said. "But if I get nervous, I'll just sing. It helps a lot. Calms me down."

"Well, good luck out there," Roger said.

"Thanks!" Vanessa happily said with a smile.


	5. Chapter 5

That night, Vanessa and Thaddeus headed back to their hotel room, where Cinna was waiting for them.

"Nailed it!" Vanessa happily said.

"Nice work using your optimism during the interview," Cinna said. "And smart thinking about using a catchphrase. That's sure to win over sponsors."

"I still think the whole cute girl act was cheesy," Thaddeus said.

"Oh please," Vanessa replied. "Did you really think you were going to win sponsors with that bitter attitude of yours?"

"I don't want any sponsors," Thaddeus insisted. "I just want to survive the Games."

"You know, you've been a downer since we came here," Vanessa said. "Can't you cheer up for once?"

"You wouldn't be smiling if you knew the truth," Thaddeus said.

* * *

The next day, Vanessa and Thaddeus were brought to a helicopter that was on the roof of the training center. As the helicopter flew off, a woman started injecting something into the wrists of the tributes.

When it was Vanessa's turn, she yelped in pain. "Sorry about that," the woman said. "But the tracking device is needed for the Games."

"It still hurts," Vanessa said as she rubbed her wrist.

* * *

Eventually, the tributes arrived at the Catacombs and were taken to separate rooms. Vanessa met up with Cinna in her room.

"I know your supposed to wear the same uniform as everyone else," Cinna said. "But I managed to make an exception for you." He took the uniform, which consisted of a dark pink jacket with a light pink top, pink baggy pants, and dark pink soft leather hiking boots.

"Thanks!" Vanessa happily said. Then she put on her uniform.

"I also got you this," Cinna said as he gave Vanessa a small leather pouch. "It's some sleeping gas for your customized arrows."

Vanessa grinned. So far, things were turning out great for her.

* * *

It wasn't long before the Games began. Vanessa was in a grassy field with the other Tributes. She took a deep breath and noticed a silver-colored bow and arrows among several weapons.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" the announcer said. "Let the 74th Annual Hunger Games begin!"


End file.
